Facebook Unites a Former Guantanomo Bay Guard with Prisoner

Brandon Neely, a former Guantanomo Prison Guard, decided to join Facebook and upon signing up, begun searching for former army acquaintances. He came upon the profile of Shafiq Rasul, a former prisoner and decided to send him a message. To his astonishment, he received a reply.

The initial message spun into a longer conversation, eventually resulting in a face-to-face meeting.

The meeting was arranged by Gavin Lee, a BBC correspondent, who learned about the Facebook messages from Mr. Rasul, who lives in Britain. The BBC paid for Mr. Neely’s flight to the UK in exchange for the opportunity to record their initial meeting between Neely, Rasul and another former prisoner, Ruhal Ahmed.

Neely’s first words, “You look different without a cap.”
The former prisoner’s “You look different without the jump suits.”

Mr. Neely, has since granted confessional-style interviews about the abuses he says he witnessed there. In a message to Mr. Rasul, Mr. Neely apologized for his role in the imprisonment.